


One day

by InkOfPassion



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: F/M, soft, them being soft, this before the shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:42:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28975299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkOfPassion/pseuds/InkOfPassion
Summary: Vanya couldn't sleep.
Relationships: Number Five | The Boy/Vanya Hargreeves
Comments: 1
Kudos: 35





	One day

**Author's Note:**

> lol i have no clue how to do italics, so i hope you can imagine it for now until i figure out how the hell to do so. 
> 
> happy reading!

Vanya couldn't sleep.

She never snuck out. Never risked the creak of a door being too loud, or a footstep too heavy on the brittle floorboards. But Vanya was awake, and she had been for the past three hours that she'd spent staring at her ceiling, waiting for the day's usual bottled up hurt to disappear into the grasp of sleep. She wished her sibling's words could bounce off her like they should, but even years of medication to numb the energy couldn't numb her feelings like she wished they could. 

Vanya nudged the sheets off her legs. Five's room wasn't that far from hers, and if she was quiet enough she could pursue his company if he wanted hers. Five was never rude. He'd assured her many times that she'd always come first, that she was more important than anything he'd ever let capture his attention. It didn't stop Vanya from worrying that he'd lied, though. If he'd rejected her, she'd have to make her way back to her room, just as sad and maybe sadder. 

She was used to being hurt, but not by him. 

The faint shuffle of footsteps sounded too loud in Vanya's ears, and she paused against the wall a couple of inches from her door. Her breathing matched the wind on a stormy day, and she wondered if it was all a bad idea made from impulse and boredom. Boredom was never a reason. Reginald would kill her for being awake because she was _bored _. But there was nothing else she could do that she hadn't already done. Her tiny room wasn't made for exploring. She didn't have pretty trinkets like Luther, or fancy magazines like Allison. Her walls were white and boring, and her sheets had never been changed to fit her interest.__

__Even though Reginald barely looked at her, she knew he hated her the most. It felt selfish to think it, but what her siblings didn't know or hear wouldn't hurt them._ _

__Vanya edged towards Five's door. Her fist hovered over the door, and her fingers grazed the doorknob. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to knock or invite herself in. Knocking would wake him and somebody else. Opening it would risk his wrath._ _

__Vanya frowned. _What do I do? _____

____The door swung open before she could decide. Vanya bit back a squeak and jammed her lips together, bracing herself against the doorway._ _ _ _

____"Vanya?" Five croaked, blinking away his tired haze. Training hadn't treated him well. His muscles ached, his temper boiled. The angry expression he was wearing receded from his face as he realised who had been standing at his door for the past five minutes._ _ _ _

____He'd seen her shadow through the gap between the floor and his door, lengthened by the stretch of moonlight through his window. He'd been ready to throw Luther of it, but it wasn't him waiting outside his door. It was Vanya, hand cupped over her mouth to muffle her scream._ _ _ _

____"What are you doing here?" Five mumbled, ushering her in. "It's... Late."_ _ _ _

____"I know," she started. "And I'm sorry for bothering you, but-"_ _ _ _

____"No," he interrupted. "I'm too tired to hear whatever bullshit excuse you have saved for our dimwit, pea-brained siblings. Come in. I'm not going to bite you, Vanya."_ _ _ _

____Even in the dark, a scarlet flush stained her pale cheeks. He smiled teasingly and closed the door behind her._ _ _ _

____"Can't sleep?" He asked. She nodded._ _ _ _

____Her words hadn't reached her yet. They'd left her like they always did when Five was around. She knew Allison would call it a crush, but Vanya knew it was more than that. She wasn't ready to accept it, though. She knew he wasn't, and wouldn't, either, so she quelled the butterflies summoned in her stomach at his sleep-riddled smile. Along with whatever she was feeling being a not-crush, it was also a slither of shock. Five was the only one who noticed she was there, but when he wasn't at her side to do so, it became lonely and sad. She'd forgotten what it was like to stand in a suit of flesh and bone that other people could see._ _ _ _

____"Can I..." She shifted from foot to foot and cleared her throat. "Can I stay with you, Five?"_ _ _ _

____"Of course."_ _ _ _

____A breath passed her lips. Vanya scooted towards the side of the bed closest to the window and shut her eyes so she wouldn't see him slipping in beside her. It felt intimate- too intimate. Closeness had always felt personal between them, but it had never felt _awkward _like she was feeling now. There were so many words to say, and so many she wasn't ready to begin with. Vanya swallowed, her fingers curling into the mattress beneath her. It dipped at Five's weight. He was too close- she could feel the brush of warmth and the caress of his breath at the back of his neck. But at the same time,___ _ _ _

______He was too far away._ _ _ _ _ _

______"What did he say?"_ _ _ _ _ _

______Vanya jumped. "What?"_ _ _ _ _ _

______"You were quiet today," Five explained. "Diego must've said something. I'll wash his mouth out with Reginald's nice soap."_ _ _ _ _ _

______He would never know how much it meant to her that he noticed the little things. Vanya was always quiet, but only he would know that she was quieter._ _ _ _ _ _

______"It wasn't him," Vanya lied. Half-lied, anyway. It was all of them, really, but they couldn't help that they were like that when they were always like that. If Vanya wasn't so _ordinary _, maybe they'd like her better. Maybe she wouldn't have to watch from far away rooftops as they served glory to citizens who didn't know a family beyond six siblings who were happy to hide the truth.___ _ _ _ _ _

________"Vanya-"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"It's fine," she promised. "...I'll be fine."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Five was quiet. "You don't have to suck up to them, you know."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Then what do I do?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Anything but that."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Vanya resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "They already hate me. Why provoke them, Five?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Because it's funny."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________This time, she scoffed. "Funny to see me being pushed around every day?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"No," he panicked. "That's not what I meant-"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Then what?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She turned, the blankets twisting around her body. She peeled them away from her side and sat up. Vanya wasn't really going to leave, but she liked to pretend that she had some kind of control over herself when it came to Five. Vanya was good at swallowing the hurt, but not from people who'd never hurt her. She stared at Five, her eyes narrowed into a challenge._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Then what?" she asked softly, and he sat up too._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I meant," he corrected. "That it would be funny to give them a reality check. You deserve better, Vanya."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She wanted to say she knew, but that was the thing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She didn't._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Vanya turned away and shook her head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I don't want to talk about it, Five."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Then we won't."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Five shifted closer, an arm crossing hers and securing her to his chest. She squeezed his hand and settled against him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"One day, Vanya," he whispered. "One day, I will find out how to time travel. I'll test it out, of course, but then I'll take you with me. And we won't ever have to see this hell hole again."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Vanya yawned. "One day."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
